Egypt (7 page)

Gannon thought for a moment.

“Fine,” he said. “After you?”

“No, I insist,” James replied. “You first.”

“Suck it up,” I said to Gannon.

“Yeah, mate,” James added. “Dr. Aziz is waiting for us. Get in there.”

Gannon shot us both an angry look, dropped to the ground and crawled into the opening. I know he wasn’t happy, but there was no way I was going to let him turn back.

I followed close behind.

Through the collapsed doorway, the chamber opened up into a square room, probably fifteen feet at each side, with a ceiling just high enough for us to stand upright. I shined my flashlight along the ground in front of me, checking each step before I took it. Dr. Aziz was somewhere in the darkness. Then, suddenly, there was a click and a bright beam of light shot across the tomb.

“Behold!” he thundered. “Mummies!”

“Ooof!” James belted, and fell back into the wall as if he’d just been punched in the gut.

I was pretty startled myself. It’s just not something you see every day.

“Amazing,” Serene said.

“Judging by the tomb and the type of burial, this is probably a nobleman and his family,” Dr. Aziz explained. “A mother, father, and the three mummies on the right are most likely their children. This is a brand new discovery and you are part of it!”

These mummies were wrapped in linen from head to toe, just like mummies I grew up seeing in cartoons. Because of these childhood memories, it wasn’t hard for me to imagine them suddenly coming to life and attacking us.

What happened next was almost worse.

There was a low rumble and it seemed like the ground was giving way. The next thing I knew Gannon was falling, rock and dirt consuming him on all sides. When he came to a stop he was pinned, stuck in a narrow crack in the earth. One arm was wedged along his side. The other was raised over his head. He had fallen into a booby trap and couldn’t move.

He fought, wiggled, thrashed, and screamed until his energy was all but drained. Dr. Aziz was yelling at him from above, but Gannon couldn’t calm himself enough to hear what he was saying.

Finally, the words of Dr. Aziz registered.

“Stop moving or you’ll be buried alive!” he screamed.

Gannon stopped.

Enough dirt had fallen into the shaft to bury him up to his chin. A small plume continued to slide into the shaft, slowly filling the hole. Gannon raised his chin, which gave him another inch between his mouth and the dirt. He whispered that his chest felt like it was being crushed and he was having trouble breathing.

Immediately, a rescue was underway. We only had minutes to save him. Dr. Aziz summoned the crew, who came running into the tomb with a cord of rope. The idea was to tie the rope under his arms and pull him from the hole. The problem was that his left arm was buried and there was no way to secure the rope around him. Instead the men used a small shovel and began carefully removing dirt from the hole.

“Gannon,” I said calmly, “just try to relax.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” he grunted. “You’re not the one stuck in a booby trap.”

The men were cautious in their movements, very aware that triggering a slide would bury Gannon completely. Little by little they cleared away enough dirt and debris to get the rope underneath his left arm. They then ran it around his back and under his right arm. The rope was secured with a double knot so that there was no chance of it coming undone once they started to pull him out.

The largest man in the crew took the rope in his hands and began to pull with everything he had, but Gannon didn’t budge an inch. A second man helped. Still, he didn’t move. So James, Serene, and I took the rope behind the men, as did Dr. Aziz. It felt like we were trying to pull Gannon from a pool of wet cement that had almost dried. He groaned in pain each time we pulled.

“Hang in there, Gannon,” I said.

“I feel like I’m about to be torn in half,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Try to wiggle yourself free as we pull,” Dr. Aziz suggested.

We gave it one more heave and I felt Gannon being dislodged, freed of the dirt and pulled onto safe ground.

He was really shaken up. Sure, it was a pretty good scare, but I didn’t think it would impact him as much as it has. When we got to camp, he took off on a walk and asked to be left alone. Serene just came into the tent and told me Gannon’s considering leaving the fellowship. I’m hoping that’s not true. I need to track him down and see what’s going on.

Okay, I’m sorry, but there’s something about falling into a booby trap and almost being buried alive inside a tomb full of mummies that’s a little hard to shake off. I honestly thought I’d be able to put it behind me when we got back to camp, but that just hasn’t happened. I keep reliving that moment in my head. Even now, I can still feel the pressure of the earth closing in on me. I can still taste the dirt in my mouth.

I said it before and I’ll say it again: I didn’t consider just how dangerous this fellowship might be. And it sure as heck never dawned on me that my life would be at risk! Sure, I guess there’s an element of danger in all travel, and definitely in all exploration, but if I had known just how hazardous this fellowship was going to be, I don’t know if I would have applied in the first place. Here’s the truth: After our experience at A1, I’ve had just about enough of archeology to last me a lifetime. And the problem is, we’re just getting started.

When I told Wyatt I was leaving the fellowship and returning to Cairo, he tried to convince me to stay.

“You can’t leave, Gannon,” he said. “We’re a team.”

“Trust me, Wyatt, if there was any way for me to finish out this fellowship, I would. But you saw what happened to me in that tomb. Fear got the best of me and I totally froze up.”

Wyatt took off his hat and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

“Let’s face it,” I continued, “I’ll be of no use on this expedition. I mean, despite what you think, I put a lot of work into my application and spent a lot of time studying, but I’m sure there are others who are more deserving. I probably shouldn’t have won it in the first place. That’s the part I feel most guilty about.”

“You earned this fellowship. Give it some more time. In the end, you’ll be happy you did.”

I looked away, unable to face my brother.

“I have to get going,” I said, and walked off to gather my things.

While I was packing my bags, Dr. Aziz entered the tent.

“May I have a word with you, Gannon?” he asked politely.

“Of course.”

We each took a seat on a cot.

“I understand that this may be difficult for you,” he said. “At your age, I would have been scared out of my mind at the thought of entering a tomb. And to find mummies inside, that probably would have sent me screaming for the exit.”

“Really?” I said, surprised by this admission.

“I don’t think I could have done it. It took me many years to get over my fears. Even today, I constantly have to remind myself why I am doing this.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” I said, “what is it that makes you so passionate about archeology?”

“It is my duty to uncover the mysteries of ancient Egypt,” he said. “My duty to find these treasures and preserve them for future generations. This is Egypt’s heritage. You must understand, there are thieves out there who will stop at nothing to find these artifacts before I do. These people care nothing of our history, our heritage. They have no desire to preserve these ancient wonders. They only care about money.”

Dr. Aziz swept his arm over the desert.

“There are treasures hidden under these Egyptian sands worth a fortune. If the wrong people succeed in finding them before I do, it is likely that they will never be recovered, and thus, never truly understood. When we lose an ancient artifact, we lose a piece of our history … forever.”

I felt ashamed that I had never taken the time to consider the real value of his work.

“The car is waiting to take you to the train station. If you wish to return to Cairo, I understand. Whether you stay or go, you must remember that you were given this prestigious fellowship for a reason.”

“Wyatt said the same thing. But, I still can’t help feeling like I’ve let everyone down.”

“Few people your age have such an impressive resume. You don’t acquire such a long list of achievements without possessing a great deal of inner strength. A person must be brave to do all that you have done. Do not forget that.”

“Thank you, Dr. Aziz.”

“No, thank you, Gannon.”

Dr. Aziz stood up. He patted me on the shoulder and walked from the tent.

I sat on the edge of the cot for a long time, trying to decide what to do.

Stay or go?

The car was waiting.

I could hear the engine running.

I was driving myself crazy, sitting there thinking. I kept picturing myself in that booby trap, the dirt sliding in all around me. I couldn’t take it anymore. To stay just seemed pointless. I needed to leave, slip out quietly, avoid goodbyes and all that. They’d be too difficult.

I grabbed my backpack and walked quickly to the car.

“We can go,” I said to the driver, and climbed in the passenger seat.

As the driver pulled away from the site, I tried my best not to make eye contact with anyone in the camp. Still, I managed to catch sight of my brother out of the corner of my eye. He was standing there motionless, just watching us drive away, like he couldn’t believe that I was actually leaving. As we came to the far end of the camp and turned onto the road, his head fell. To me, that said it all.

FEBRUARY 26, 3:31 PM


32,471 FEET ABOVE THE DESERT


FLIGHT 523, EN ROUTE TO ALEXANDRIA


I wish I could say that Gannon returned last night. I wish I could write that he decided not to board the train to Cairo and instead took a car back to camp.

He didn’t.

I’ve had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since he left. I like to think that I’m tough enough to handle any exploration on my own, but I’ve become used to my brother’s company. We go everywhere together. Obviously, I’ve been taking him for granted.

“Gannon just isn’t cut out for this kind of work,” James said, after he left. “He’s no explorer. Doesn’t have the guts.”

James had crossed the line, and I wasn’t about to let him get away with it. I got right up in his face.

“You have no right to talk about my brother that way,” I said. “You don’t know anything about him.”

“I know what I saw.”

“He’s twice the explorer you’ll ever be!”

“Stop!” Serene shouted, stepping between us. “Both of you!”

I was furious, but stepped back to gather myself the best I could.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” she continued, “and we’ll have to function as a team if we hope to achieve our goals.”

“Serene is right,” I said. “And for that reason, I’m willing to put this behind us. But if I hear you say anything else about my brother, we’re going to have a serious problem. You got that?”

James turned and walked away without answering, but I know he got the message.

“That kid can really boil my blood,” I said, pacing the room.

“Forget about it, Wyatt,” Serene said. “James sometimes speaks without thinking. You can’t let it get to you.”

“Easier said than done.”

“I know it is. But we have to stay focused.”

Since our experience in A1, tensions are high. It’s safe to say that we’re all really nervous about what we might encounter during our search for Cleopatra. Even Dr. Aziz has been on edge most of the day, which is understandable given all that’s at stake. Basically, his reputation rests on the success of this mission.

Before we boarded the plane to Alexandria, I found Dr. Aziz seated in a far corner of the airport terminal, gazing out the window. There was an empty seat across from him.

“May I take this seat?” I asked.

“Please do.”

I sat down and remained quiet, not wanting to disturb his thoughts. After some time, he spoke.

“Do you know that I have been excavating this site outside Alexandria for six seasons?”

“Yes, I was told.”

“And that doesn’t include the five years I spent building evidence that this was, in fact, the best place to search for Cleopatra’s tomb. Eleven years, Wyatt. Eleven years of work focused primarily on this mission.”

Dr. Aziz again turned his head to the window, as if questioning his long-term commitment. Then he leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees.

“I have another question for you,” he said. “A question that is very important for an aspiring scientist.”

I leaned in, not wanting to miss a word.

“What do you think is the greatest challenge in the life of an archeologist?”

“That’s hard to say.”

He clinched his right fist.

“Overcoming doubt,” he said with such conviction it was like he was trying to convince himself. “So much work and preparation go into choosing a location to excavate. Then you can spend years excavating. Of course, there are times when all of your work pays off and you make a wonderful discovery. Then there are times when you dig and dig and never find what you’re looking for. This was the case in my search for the Pharaoh Nefertiti. We worked for years before realizing that there was nothing there. Only empty chambers. I must tell you, it is difficult to overcome such failings.”

“But aren’t you confident you’re getting close to finding something at this site?” I asked.

“Finding something, yes. But therein lies the problem. What it is we’ll find, no one knows.”

“So you think Cleopatra might not be buried there?” I asked, regretting my question before I’d even finished asking it.

Dr. Aziz sat quietly for a moment. He turned his head and looked out the window.

“To give you an honest answer, Wyatt. I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

FEBRUARY 26


NIGHT


For me, Cairo has lost its magic. The frenzy, the chaos, and exotic charm of this ancient place, it’s all been lost. But I know it’s not Cairo. I mean, nothing has changed in the city. It’s all me. I’ve changed.